Blown Away
by Ultimate Thorny Rose
Summary: High school AU. Clove Odair and her fraternal twin brother Finnick came from a wealthy family. Until the age of 14, they were victims of abuse. When 15 year old Cato Donovan hears Clove's story, he is blown away. Multiple pairings! Warning: Characters may seem OOC. Disclaimer: I only own my OCs.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Third Person POV

Laura Odair was a famous singer. She was beautiful. She was the wife of Emmett Odair, a famous actor. They were extremely wealthy. Laura and Emmett lived in Oklahoma with their twin children, Clove Jade Odair and Finnick Tyler Odair. Finnick was the spitting image of his father. He had the same tan skin, the same bronze colored hair, and the same sea green eyes. Clove had her mother's long straight black hair and fair skin, and the same sea green eyes as Emmett. She got her musical talent from her mother. Clove sings and plays the guitar. She owns an acoustic guitar. That's the only instrument she owns.

When Clove and Finnick were ten, Laura was driving home from a photo shoot one night, and she was killed in a car accident. The paparazzi were all over the story of her death. Emmett didn't even get a phone call from the police; he had to find out about his wife's death from a newspaper article that was published a mere two minutes after Laura was killed.

Emmett became a different man after reading the newspaper article about Laura's death. He quit acting, and he eventually developed a drinking problem. Paparazzi would come to his door once a week, asking him why he quit acting. The answer was always the same: "I don't like it anymore". It was a truthful answer. He didn't like acting anymore.

Emmett and the twins moved from Oklahoma to California when Clove and Finnick turned 12. A year later, he began abusing them. It started out as punches and kicks, but things got much worse on their 14th birthday. Finnick got belt lashes, and Clove got raped. Finnick saw the whole thing. He was so mad at Emmett that he hit him over the head with an empty whiskey bottle, knocking him unconscious. He did that after Clove put her pants and underwear back on. Clove called the police and told them every vivid detail about the abuse. The police came and arrested the still unconscious Emmett. They told the twins to pack up all their possessions and go live with a friend or family member.

Clove and Finnick packed up all their things and went to live with their friend Finch Foxworthy, a girl with long red hair, amber eyes, and fox-like features. Clove told her told her every vivid detail about the abuse. Finch encouraged Clove to take a pregnancy test, and she did. The result was positive. Clove told Finch that if the baby was a boy, she would name it Sean, and if it was a girl, she would name it Ava. Clove ended up losing the baby to a miscarriage.

The day of Emmett's trial eventually came, and Clove and Finnick testified against their father. The press was nice enough not to include the child abuse in the articles they wrote about Emmett's trial. They figured it would make the kids uncomfortable. Contrary to popular belief, the press can be nice.

Emmett was sentenced to prison for the rest of his life on the charges of alcohol abuse and child abuse. The articles the press wrote about Emmett's trial said that "Emmett Odair was sentenced to prison for the rest of his life on the charge of serious alcohol abuse."

The students and staff of Clove and Finnick's high school, Panem High School, had all seen the newspaper articles, so they never asked Clove and Finnick questions about their mom's death and their dad's jail sentence. They only asked if they were doing okay. Their answer was always the same: "we're doing okay".

Clove and Finnick are now 15. They still live with Finch and her family. The Odair twins will engage in small talk, but they don't have long conversations with anyone that's not in their close circle of friends.

These are Clove and Finnick's friends:

Thresh Evans: a tall and muscular dark skinned 15 year old boy with black hair and dark brown eyes. He's on the football team, and is dating Rue.

Rue Killigan: a petite dark skinned 15 year old girl with a heart shaped face, chocolate brown eyes, and long curly chocolate brown hair. She's on the volleyball team.

Annie Cresta: a tall and slender 15 year old girl with emerald green eyes and long curly brown hair. She's the captain of the volleyball team, and is dating Finnick.

Marvel Mason: a 15 year old boy with brown hair, fair skin, and hazel eyes. He's on the football team, and is dating Finch.

Johanna Mason: a 15 year old girl with long straight brown hair always worn in a high ponytail, fair skin, and hazel eyes. She's on the track team, and is Marvel's twin sister.

Gale Everdeen: a 15 year old boy with black hair, olive skin, and grey eyes. He's on the football team, and is dating Glimmer Beaton.

Glimmer Beaton: a tall and slender 15 year old girl with bright green eyes, fair skin, and long blonde hair. She's on the track team.

Katniss Everdeen: a 15 year old girl with long black hair always worn in a high ponytail, olive skin, and grey eyes. She's the star of the track team, and is the identical twin sister of Gale.

Peeta Mellark: a 15 year old boy with blonde hair, fair skin, and greyish blue eyes. He's on the track team, and is dating Katniss.

Elliot Evans: a 15 year old boy with fair skin, blue eyes, and black hair. He's on the track team, and is dating Johanna.

~Line break~

Clove's POV

Today was Monday. I got out of the bed in the guest room I'm staying in and had a shower. I then put my bathrobe on and went to my room to get dressed. I slipped on a white tank top and I put my black leather jacket over it (I kept the jacket unzipped), a pair of blue denim skinny jeans, and my pair of black Converse high tops with white laces. I left my hair down.

I walked downstairs to the kitchen. I sat next to Finnick at the breakfast table and started eating my pancakes.

"I'm getting a ride to school with Marvel and Johanna." Finch said to her parents. "Couch Caesar wants the track team to come to school early so we can practice for the meet after school."

I don't play any sports.

"Practice first thing in the morning? That's brutal." I said.

"Tell me about it!" Finch exclaimed. "Although I have to admit, Coach Caesar is not as bad as Couch Enobaria. She wants the volleyball team to get to school early today so they can do ten laps around the gym, and then do drills."

The volleyball team is an all-girls team. No boys are allowed on it. No girls are allowed on the football team. Football season hasn't started yet. Tryouts will be later this week. Track season and volleyball season will end in the winter. Football season starts in the spring, but the couch, Coach Brutus, likes to do his tryouts in the fall. It's fall now.

I heard a car horn honk outside the door.

"Oh, there's Marvel's mom." Finch said to me and Finnick. "I'll see you at school, you two."

"Bye Finch." I waved to her before she walked out the door.

~Line break~

Finnick and I got to school at 8:30. Finch's parents drove us. School started at 9:00.

I took a seat next to Katniss. Glimmer was on the other side of me.

"How was practice?" I asked Katniss.

She groaned. "Brutal! We spent the entire hour of practice doing suicides!″

"I'm so sore!" Glimmer groaned. ″No athlete is supposed to spend an entire hour doing suicides!″

"I'm gonna kill Coach Caesar." Johanna muttered from behind me.

"Now, now, there's no need to do that." Glimmer said. "It could have been worse. He could have made us arrive at school at 6 instead of 7, making us have to do two hours of suicides.″

"I guess you're right." Johanna said.

The science teacher, Cinna Maxwell, got everyone's attention. ″Everyone, we have a new student joining us today. This is Cato Donovan. He's 15 years old, like all of you, and he transferred to Panem High School from Capitol Academy.″

Capitol Academy is a fancy private school in New York for boys from rich families. The faculty at that school is really strict, from what I have heard. The simplest prank could cause a boy to get expelled and put into the public school system. The female counterpart of Capitol Academy is Tribute Academy.

I wonder if any of the kids from Capitol Academy and Tribute Academy are like me: famous because of being the kid of a celebrity (or two). I imagine if that were the case, gossip about Cato transferring to a public school would have spread like wildfire by now. New York is as bad as California when it comes to gossiping about the rich and famous. I haven't seen any newspaper articles about a boy being transferred from Capitol Academy to a public high school. Then again, the Odairy family tends to be in the spotlight most of the time.

Standing on the left side of Cinna was Cato, who was by far the most gorgeous guy I have ever seen. He was tall and muscular, and he had fair skin, icy blue eyes, and blonde hair.

″Welcome to our class, Cato!″ Cinna exclaimed. ″The only seat left is the empty seat next to Clove.″ Cinna pointed to me. ″You'll be sitting there for the rest of the semester.″

Cato's POV

I took a seat next to Clove, a gorgeous girl with long straight black hair and fair skin, and sea green eyes. She had on a white tank top with a black leather jacket over it (the jacket was unzipped), a pair of blue denim skinny jeans, and a pair of black Converse high tops with white laces. Her hair was down.

Cinna called attendance. I discovered that Clove's last name was Odair. Why does that last name sound so familiar?

″What's your middle name?″ I asked Clove. I was making small talk.

″Jade.″ Clove replied.

"Clove Jade Odair." The name rolled off my tongue very nicely. "That's a nice name."

"Thanks." Clove said. "What's your middle name? I know we're making small talk."

"How'd you guess?" I asked her.

She gave a small smile. "It was kind of obvious."

"Okay, well…my middle name is Alec." I said. ″Why does your last name sound so familiar, Clove?″

″My parents, Laura and Emmett, are big time celebs.″ Clove said. ″I should say were, actually, considering they're no longer celebrities.″

″Really?″ I asked with interest. ″Why is that?″

″You mean you haven't seen the newspapers?″ Clove asked me.

I shook my head. ″New York newspapers only focus on celebrities from New York.″

″My mom was a singer. She died in a car wreck. My dad was an actor. He doesn't act anymore.″ Clove said.

″Why?″ I asked with interest.

Clove pulled out her cell phone and, making sure the teacher wasn't looking, handed me the phone. ″See for yourself.″

I read the article on the site her phone was on. Her dad was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in jail, on the charge of serious alcohol abuse.

I handed Clove her cell phone. She put it back in the pocket of her jacket. ″A life prison sentenced seems awfully harsh for something as minor…well, compared to some other crimes at least…as alcohol abuse. You sure he didn't do anything else?″

Clove got defensive on me. ″I'm sure. Now…if you would be so kind as to not ask me anymore questions about my parents…that would be greatly appreciated.″

″Sorry.″ I apologized.

Clove's expression softened. ″I'm sorry for snapping at you. It's just…I didn't like that you asked me questions about my parents. I get enough questions from the press.″

Clove's POV

Once a week, the press will come to Finch's door and ask to see me and Finnick. These are the questions they asked us last time they came:

″Do you feel safe now that your father is in jail?″

My answer was ″Yes.″

Finnick`s answer was ″Yes, I do.″

″Did he do anything worse than hitting you?″

The press didn't know about the rape, or the result of it. I wasn't going to tell them, either.

My answer was ″No.″

Finnick didn't tell them about the belt lashes. His answer to that question was ″No.″

″Are you planning to move out of California in the hopes of escaping your rough past?″

My answer was ″No. I like it here.″

Finnick`s answer was ″No. I like California.″

The paparazzi loved my family. I don't really blame them. My mother was the picture of perfection: tall, slender, glamorous, talented, and beautiful. Her death crushed the people of California. My father was extremely popular in the movie world. Now that they're not around, the press go after me and my brother. Sometimes Finnick and I get asked to do a TV interview. We do it. We've gotten kind of used to the attention. However, that doesn't mean we like being asked a lot of questions. It's the opposite, actually. More attention means more questions. More questions means there's more of a possibility that people will uncover our story. I don't want people to pity me and Finnick because we used to be abused by our so-called father.

″Enough about me.″ I said to Cato. ″Let's talk about you. Your last name sounds really familiar as well. I know the identical blonde twins Cashmere and Gloss Donovan. They're in my English class. I have English after lunch. Are Cashmere and Gloss related to you?"

″I have English after lunch too.″ I said. ″Cashmere and Gloss are my cousins. They're my dad's brother Nate's kids. They're a month older than me.″

″Why did you transfer from an elite school like Capitol Academy to an average public school?″ I asked Cato.

″I got really drunk one night at a party, did some stupid stuff, and got expelled.″ Cato said. ″The principal, Haymitch Abernathy, was the one who expelled me. He said ″too much drinking is not good for you″. That sounded rather ironic coming from him, considering he calls in sick half the time due to being hung-over.″

″I'm not such a party animal anymore.″ Cato said.

″Your principal was right.″ I said. ″Too much drinking is not good for you. It fucks people up. I know that better than anyone. It landed my father in jail, for crying out loud!"

Cato's POV

The bell signalling the end of class and the start of lunch rang. I went to my assigned locker. Gloss and Cashmere walked up to me.

″Hey Cato.″ Cashmere said. ″How's your day going?″

"Good." I said. "Panem High is a pretty good school. The girls here are much hotter than the girls at Tribute Academy." Sometimes Capitol Academy and Tribute Academy would go on field trips together. "Especially this one girl, Clove Odair."

"Oh, I know Clove." Gloss said. "I also know her fraternal twin brother Finnick. He's in my math class. Cashmere's not. She has history when I have math."

"Clove and Finnick are the paparazzo's babies." Cashmere said. "Whenever they're on TV, they get bombarded with questions. The poor things."

"I asked Clove some questions about her parents, and she got all defensive on me." I said.

"Well, you can't really blame her for getting defensive." Gloss reasoned. "Your dad being sent to prison and your mom getting killed in a car wreck aren't exactly things you'd bring up in casual conversation."

"I guess you're right." I said.

"If you want to get close to Clove, don't bother." Cashmere said to me. "She refuses to have a serious conversation with anyone that's not in her close circle of friends."

"What makes you think I want to get close to Clove?" I asked. Cashmere wasn't wrong. I was developing a crush on her. I don't know if it's possible to develop a crush on someone when you barely know them. It must be.

"Well, almost everyone in school wants to be friends with Clove and Finnick." Cashmere said. "They're famous because their parents were big time celebrities. Even though their parents aren't celebrities anymore, they're still the two richest people in California. Everyone wants to be friends with people from a rich family, right?"

"Well, yeah." I said. "I wasn't the richest person at Capitol Academy, but a lot of people wanted to be my friend."

"Clove refuses to make friends with anyone." Cashmere said. "She's happy with just her close circles of friends."

"Why don't you sit with us at lunch today?" Gloss suggested. "It's only your first day. You've got the rest of the semester to attempt to make friends with Clove, even though your attempts will probably fail. You can sit with her another day."

"Okay." I said. I followed Cashmere and Gloss towards the cafeteria.

**A/N: Please review this chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Clove's POV

After school, I texted Finch's mom and told her that I'd like to stay and watch the track meet. She texted back and said _okay, but you'll have to find your own way back to the house._

Finch walked up to my locker, donned in her track uniform, her hair in a high ponytail. "Hey. My mom texted me and said that you're staying to watch the meet. You can catch a ride with me, Johanna, and Marvel. Finnick's catching a ride with Annie. She's watching the meet today.

"Okay." I said. "I'll sit next to Annie."

"I'll see you later!" Finch waved to me before walking out of the school's front double doors.

~Line break~

I took a seat next to Annie on the bleachers. Cato came and sat on the other side of me. "Hey Clove."

"Hey Cato." I said. "Not to be rude or anything, but what are you doing here? Don't you have parents to go home to?"

"Not today." Cato said. "They both have to work until 8 tonight. Gloss and Cashmere are on the team, and I figured staying to watch the meet and letting them take me to their place would be more fun than going home and spending the rest of the day alone."

"Fair enough." I said. "What street do you live on?"

"The same one as Gloss and Cashmere, Mockingjay Lane." Cato said. "It's not like it's out of their way to take me to their house."

"What house do you live in?" I asked. "A lot of houses went up for sale recently."

"The old Harrison place." Cato said. "Apparently, that house has been vacant for years. It was a bit of a fixer-upper, but my dad and uncle managed to fix it. It looks pretty nice now. Where do you live?"

"Finnick and I live with our friend Finch in the Foxworthy house." I said. "We've lived there ever since our dad got sent to jail." Actually, more than that…not that Cato needed to know. "We'll have to live there until we're old enough to move out, since our dad has to spend the rest of his life in prison. We don't have any relatives living in California."

"Don't you get hot, wearing jackets and hoodies and jeans every day?" Cato asked me.

"No." I said. "I don't get hot easily. Neither does Finnick." That was a lie…but Cato didn't need to know that. Every day, Finnick and I change into shorts and t-shirts or tank tops. It's pretty easy to get hot in California.

"I get hot easily." Cato said. "That's why I wear shorts and t-shirts or tank tops to school every day."

"Would the stars of the Panem High School Cardinals and the District High School Bobcats track teams please get into position?" A voice boomed into the intercom. "The first race is about to start."

"In the public school system, it's tradition for the stars of each team to race each other to start off a track meet." I explained to Cato.

"In the private school system, it's the opposite." Cato said.

Katniss' POV

I was bouncing on the balls of my feet, eager to get my race on the road.

Me and the star of the District High track team positioned ourselves so that our left legs stretched behind us, our toes bent and knees just touching the ground, our right legs planted firmly on the ground, our knees touching our chests as we grazed our fingertips on the track. It may seem like a hard position to propel oneself out of but once that horn blew I could erect myself and shoot down the track in a heartbeat.

I waited, adrenaline pounding through my body already as I focused on the track in front of me. I heard the horn's obnoxious blare and I was off.

I pushed forward and ran like there was no tomorrow.

Cato's POV

"Holy shit!" I exclaimed to Clove as I saw Katniss cross the finish line long before the other girl did. She went so fast that I could barely see her! I caught a glimpse of the girls' uniforms during the race. The back of the uniforms read their last names: Everdeen and Brooks. The front of the uniforms read their numbers. Katniss was number 17. The other girl was number 23. "Katniss went so fast that I could barely see her!"

"She's the star of the track team for a reason." Clove said. "She's a fantastic athlete."

"No kidding." I agreed. "That was awesome!"

Clove's POV

"Number 20 of the Panem High School Cardinals and number 21 of the District High School Bobcats, please get into position." A voice boomed into the intercom. "The next race is about to start."

"The public school system has a one against one system when it comes to track." I explained to Cato. "Only two people are allowed to race each other at one time."

Katniss planted herself on the bleachers in front of me. She had a water bottle grasped in her right hand. She took a swig from the bottle.

"You totally whopped that other girl's ass." I said to her. "Great job."

"Thanks Clove." Katniss said.

Finch is number 20. She's not as good as Katniss, but he's pretty good.

Katniss told me Peeta couldn't make it to the meet, because his mom was making him babysit his little brother Rye.

I heard the horn's obnoxious blare and saw Finch push forward, racing towards the finish line.

"Go Finch!" Annie yelled.

"Come on, Foxworthy!" Katniss yelled. Athletes have this thing where they call each other by their last names while cheering each other on during a sporting event.

"You can win this race, Finch!" I yelled.

Finch crossed the finish line before the other girl did.

Cato's POV

Finch planted herself on the bleachers in front of me, and next to Katniss. She had a water bottle grasped in her right hand. She took a swig from the bottle.

"Nice race." I said to her.

"Thanks." She said to me.

Marvel was on the other side of Finch. "Great race, babe."

She grinned. "Thanks sweetheart."

Soon it was time for the last race. Finnick's up.

Finnick's POV

Me and the other guy positioned ourselves so that our left legs stretched behind us, our toes bent and knees just touching the ground, our right legs planted firmly on the ground, our knees touching our chests as we grazed our fingertips on the track.

I waited, adrenaline pounding through my body already as I focused on the track in front of me. I heard the horn's obnoxious blare and I was off.

I pushed forward and raced towards the finish line. I ended up crossing the finish line before the other guy.

Panem High ended up winning the most points during the meet, since most of the athletes on our team won their races.

Annie ran over to me and engulfed me in a hug. "Great job, sweetheart!"

"Thanks babe." I planted a kiss on her forehead.

Clove, our other friends, and Cato walked over to me.

"Great race, Odair." Katniss said.

"Thanks Everdeen." I said.

"Great race, Finnick." Clove said to me. She hugged me. "If you keep this up, you could be next year's track star."

"Oh, I wouldn't count on that." Katniss said cockily. "I plan on keeping my title of track star until I graduate. Nobody will be able to take it. Nobody's as good as me."

"Careful, Everdeen." Finch warned. "Your cockiness could come back to bite you in the ass someday."

"Let's go get some ice cream to celebrate your awesome race." Annie said.

"Okay." I waved to the others before following Annie off the track.

Cato's POV

"I should get going too." I said to the others. "Gloss and Cashmere are probably waiting for me."

"Okay." Katniss said. "See you later, Cato."

"See you later." I waved to the others before heading over to Gloss and Cashmere.

Clove's friends seem to be nice people. Maybe I'll become friends with them someday.

**A/N: Please review this chapter!**


	3. The Song

Chapter 3: The Song

Cato's POV

I decided I'd try out for Panem High's football team. I played football at my old school. Public schools were allowed to play private schools in sporting events, and Panem High whooped our asses every time they played us. Their football team is really good.

I needed to get back in shape so I'd be ready for tryouts. I headed to the park and ran a few laps. I stopped running laps when I heard guitar playing and singing.

_Dry lightning cracks across the skies  
Those storm clouds gather in her eyes  
Her daddy was a mean old mister  
Mama was an angel in the ground  
The weather man called for a twister  
She prayed blow it down_

Directly in front of me was Clove, sitting on a park bench. She was playing a Gibson Hummingbird Heritage Cherry Sunburst acoustic guitar. She had a really good voice.

_There's not enough rain in Oklahoma  
To wash the sins out of that house  
There's not enough wind in Oklahoma  
To rip the nails out of the past_

By now, everyone had stopped whatever they were doing to listen to Clove sing.

_Shatter every window 'til it's all blown away,  
Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away  
'Til there's nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday  
Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away,  
Blown away_

She was singing with such passion in her voice. I wonder if there's a personal story behind this song.

_She heard those sirens screaming out  
Her daddy laid there passed out on the couch  
She locked herself in the cellar  
Listened to the screaming of the wind  
Some people call it taking shelter  
She called it sweet revenge_

_Shatter every window 'til it's all blown away,  
Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away  
'Til there's nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday  
Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away,  
Blown away_

_There's not enough rain in Oklahoma_  
_To wash the sins out of that house_  
_There's not enough wind in Oklahoma_  
_To rip the nails out of the past_

_Shatter every window 'til it's all blown away,  
Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away  
'Til there's nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday  
Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away,  
Blown away, blown away, blown away, blown away, blown away._

Clove strummed the last chord of the song, and everyone clapped. She put her guitar back in its black case and smiled at the crowd that gathered around her.

Everyone went back to what they had been doing before they listened to Clove sing.

I walked up to Clove. "You have a really good voice, and you play guitar really well."

"Thanks." Clove said. "I inherited my musical talent from my mom."

"I can tell." I said. "Do you write a lot of songs?"

"I've written a few." Clove said. "They were happy songs, unlike this one. This song is called Blown Away, and it's about child abuse."

"Well, I should get back to running laps." I said. "I gotta get in shape for tomorrow's football tryout. I want to make the team."

"Okay." Clove said. "See you at school, Cato."

I knew Clove wasn't a mean person; she just didn't want to get close to anyone outside her close circle of friends.

As I resumed running laps, there was only one thought in my mind: _there has GOT to be a personal story behind the song Clove just sang. And I'm gonna figure out what that story is._

**A/N: The song Clove sang was Blown Away by Carrie Underwood. I don't own that song. Please review this chapter!**


	4. Trial Flashback

**A/N: This chapter is a flashback to Emmett's trial. It is written in italics like many flashback chapters I've seen in other stories on this site. This chapter is written in Clove's POV. Please review!**

Chapter 4: Trial Flashback

"_I will now hear the case of Emmett Odair." Judge Vanessa Anderson said._

_I sat next to Finnick in the court room, watching as our so-called father tried to give some sob story to the jury._

"_I never meant to do the stuff I did." My so-called father said. He cried, trying to look sorry. "After Laura died, I drank a little bit, thinking I could erase her from my mind. But I couldn't, because Clove was the spitting image of her. So I drank some more. Eventually I developed a drinking problem. I wasn't in a right state of mind, and I abused my children." My so-called father looked at my brother and I. Clove, Finnick, I am so sorry!"_

_The jury was having none of his sob story. Good for them. My so-called father is a drunken asshole who lashed his son with a belt and raped his daughter and got her pregnant. Sorry doesn't cut it._

_Finnick stood up from his seat. "Sorry doesn't cut it, you bastard!" He yelled at our so-called father._

_The judge banged her gavel. "Sit down, Finnick!" _

_Finnick obeyed the judge and sat down, shutting his mouth._

_The judge turned to me and Finnick's lawyer. "Stand up. It's your turn to speak."_

_My lawyer was one of the best lawyers in California. Finch's mother hired him. His name was Mark Fitzgerald. My father's lawyer was named Jeff Coleman. He was one of those lawyers that were automatically given to someone without an attorney._

_I kept telling Mrs. Foxworthy that Finnick and I could win this case with the crappiest lawyer in the world, because all we had to do was show the jury the scars. That was plenty enough evidence._

_Jeff stood up. "I call Emmett's daughter Clove to the stand."_

_I walked up to the stand._

"_Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" The judge asked me._

"_I do." I replied._

_The judge turned to my lawyer. "You may begin to question Clove."_

"_Thank you, your Honor." My lawyer said._

_My lawyer looked at me. "Clove, your father had a drinking problem, correct?"_

_I nodded. "He quit acting after my mother's death, and he, my fraternal twin brother Finnick, and I moved to California. He eventually developed a drinking problem."_

"_How bad was his drinking problem?" My lawyer asked me._

"_What do you think?" My tone was hostile. "The alcohol messed with his mind so much that he punched and kicked me and my brother."_

"_Did the punches and kicks leave any bruises?" My lawyer asked me._

"_Yes." I replied. "They're faded now."_

"_I see." My lawyer said. "I'm going to have to ask you to show me one of your scars."_

_I lifted up one of the sleeves of the red long sleeved blouse I was wearing an showed my lawyer a bruise I had gotten from getting punched in the right arm by my so-called father. It was faded, but it could still be seen._

"_This is the only scar I have on my upper body." I said. "I have no scars on my left arm, but I have one on my left leg." I lifted one of the legs of my black dress pants and showed them a scar in the shape of the bottom of a shoe. "The defendant kicked me here. He kicked me more than he punched me." I put my pant leg down and put my sleeve down._

"_I see." My lawyer said. "Do you hide the scars in any way?"_

"_I do." I said. "I wear jeans and a leather jacket or sweatshirt to school every day. I leave my hair down every day so that no one will be able to see this." I lifted my hair up to reveal a scar from a hickey. The scar was on the back of my neck. "The defendant got really drunk one day and sexually assulted me. This scar is from a hickey."_

"_I see." My lawyer said. "Did the sexual assault result in a sexually transmitted disease?"_

"_No." I said. "But it did result in a pregnancy. I ended up losing the baby to a misscarriage."_

"_I see." My lawyer said. He turned to the judge. "I have no further questions for her, your Honor."_

_The judge looked at me. "You may go back to your seat, Clove."_

_I went back to my seat._

_The judge turned to my lawyer. "You may call your next witness to the stand."_

"_I call Clove's fraternal twin brother Finnick to the stand." My lawyer said._

_Finnick walked up to the stand._

"_Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" The judge asked Finnick_

"_I do." Finnick replied._

_The judge turned to my lawyer. "You may begin to question Finnick."_

"_Thank you, your Honor." My lawyer said._

_My lawyer looked at Finnick. "Is it true that your father had a drinking problem?"_

"_When Clove and I were ten, our mother was driving home from a photo shoot one night, and she was killed in a car accident. The paparazzi were all over the story of her death. The defendant didn't even get a phone call from the police; he had to find out about his wife's death from a newspaper article that was published a mere two minutes after she was killed." Finnick said. _

"_Continue." The judge said._

"_The defendant became a different man after reading the newspaper article about his wife's death. He quit acting, and he eventually developed a drinking problem. Paparazzi would come to our door once a week, asking him why he quit acting. The answer was always the same: "I don't like it anymore". It was a truthful answer. He didn't like acting anymore." Finnick said._

"_Continue." The judge said._

"_We moved from Oklahoma to California when Clove and I turned 12. A year later, the defendant began abusing us. It started out as punches and kicks, but things got much worse on our 14__th__ birthday. I got belt lashes, and Clove got raped. I saw the whole thing. I was so mad at the defendant that I hit him over the head with a beer bottle, knocking him unconscious. I did that after Clove put her pants and underwear back on. Clove called the police and told them every vivid detail about the abuse. The police came and arrested the still unconscious defendant. They told us to pack up all their possessions and go live with a friend or family member." Finnick said._

"_Continue." The judge said._

"_Clove and I packed up all our things and went to live with our friend Finch Foxworthy. Clove told her told her every vivid detail about the abuse. Finch encouraged Clove to take a pregnancy test, and she did. The result was positive. Clove told Finch that if the baby was a boy, she would name it Sean, and if it was a girl, she would name it Ava. Clove ended up losing the baby to a miscarriage." Finnick said._

_My lawyer turned to the judge. "I have no further questions for him, your Honor."_

_The judge looked at my brother. "You may go back to your seat, Finnick"_

_Finnick went back to my seat._

_The judge turned to my lawyer. "You may call your next witness to the stand."_

"_I call Finch Foxworthy to the stand." My lawyer said. "She is my final witness."_

_Finch walked up to the stand._

"_Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" The judge asked Finch._

"_I do." Finch replied._

_The judge turned to my lawyer. "You may begin to question Finnick."_

"_Thank you, your Honor." My lawyer said._

_My lawyer looked at Finch. "How long have you known the Odair twins?"_

"_Since they moved from Oklahoma to California." Finch said. "We became friends at school. They became a part of my close circle of friends."_

"_I see." My lawyer said. "Were you aware that the twins' mother was the deceased singer Laura Odair?"_

"_They told me that not long after they became a part of my close circle of friends." Finch said. _

"_I see." My lawyer said. "Did you see the newspapers about Laura's death?"_

"_Yes." Finch said. "Every in California did. It was a hot press topic."_

"_I see." My lawyer said. "Were you aware that the death of his wife led to the defendant quitting acting?"_

"_Yes." Finch said. "The press asked Emmett why he quit acting. His reply, "I don't like anymore", resulted in a newspaper, which was titled Emmett Odair has quit acting. Emmett and Laura were in the newspaper a lot."_

"_I see." My lawyer said. "Were you aware that the defendant had developed a drinking problem and that he had been abusing his children?"_

"_I wasn't aware of that until Clove and Finnick moved into my house and told me about their father's drinking problem and about the abuse." Finch said. "I encouraged Clove to take a pregnancy test, and she did. The result was positive. Clove told me that if the baby was a boy, she would name it Sean, and if it was a girl, she would name it Ava. Clove ended up losing the baby to a miscarriage." Finch said._

"_I see." My lawyer said. "Were your parents okay with Clove and Finnick staying at your house?"_

"_Clove told my parents about their father's drinking problem and about the abuse." Finch said. "They were fine with Clove and Finnick staying at our house."_

"_I see." My lawyer said. He turned to the judge. __"I have no further questions for her, your Honor."_

_The judge looked at Finch. "You may go back to your seat, Finch."_

_Finch went back to her seat._

_~Line break~_

"_Jury, please state your verdict." The judge said._

_A petite red haired woman with fair skin and green eyes stood up from the crowd. Her hair was in a braid cascading to her back. "We find the defendant, Emmett Odair, guilty of serious alcohol abuse, and of child abuse."_

"_Emmett Odair is sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. Case closed." The judge banged her gavel. _

"_We'll meet you two outside." Finch said to Finnick and me. She walked with her parents out of the court room._

_Finnick and I watched as our so-called father was put in handcuffs by a blonde male police officer._

_Finnick gave our so-called father the finger. "You'll end up in Hell for what you did to us, bastard!"_

_Finnick and I watched as our so-called father was escorted out of the court room door by the blonde male police officer and his identical twin brother._

_Finnick and I walked towards the court room door, but we couldn't get out of the door because the press blocked our way. They asked us questions._

"_Do you feel safe knowing your father will spend the rest of his life in prison?"_

"_Yes." Finnick said._

"_How does it feel knowing your father will spend the rest of his life in prison?"_

"_Emmett Odair was a terrible father." I said coldly. "A good father would not have done what he had done. He deserved the sentence he got."_

"_Do you think your father is truly sorry for what he did?"_

"_It doesn't matter if he is sorry or not." Finnick said. "We won't ever forgive him for what he did."_

"_Finnick, were you hoping hitting your father in the head with a beer bottle instead of knocking him unconscious?"_

"_No." Finnick said. "I wouldn't wish death on anyone, no matter how terrible the person may be. I'm not a cold-hearted son of a bitch like Emmett Odair."_

"_No more questions, please." I said to the press. We've had enough questions for one day._

"_Okay, Clove. We won't ask you and your brother more questions." A member of the press said. "When we publish newspaper articles about your father's trial, we won't say anything about child abuse. We'll only include the alcohol abuse."_

"_Thank you." Finnick said. "Please get out of the way so that we can get through the door."_

_The press moved out of the way. Finnick and I exited the courtroom._


	5. Clove's Story

Chapter 5: Clove's Story

Cato's POV

I made the football team. I got the quarterback position. I was quarterback at my old school.

After school today, I spotted Finch at her locker, talking to Marvel. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading out of the school's front double doors.

_Finch has GOT to know Clove's story_, I thought. _She's a part of her close circle of friends._

I walked up to Finch. "Hey Finch."

"Hey Cato." Finch said.

I got right to it. "You're a part of Clove's close circle of friends. What's her story?"

An expression of slight alarm crossed Finch's features. "No one outside our close circle of friends has asked me the question you just asked. Why do you want to know?"

"I spotted Clove singing and playing guitar at the park one day." I said. "I asked her what the song she had sung was called. She said it was called Blown Away, and that it was about child abuse. She sang the song with such passion, so I wondered if there was a personal story behind it."

"You're the first person outside our close circle of friends that will hear Clove's story." Finch said. "I've only told people that are part of our close circle of friends this story."

Finch began telling the story. "Laura Odair was a famous singer. She was beautiful. She was the wife of Emmett Odair, a famous actor. They were extremely wealthy. Laura and Emmett lived in Oklahoma with their twin children, Clove and Finnick. Clove was the spitting image of Laura, and Finnick was the spitting image of Emmett. Clove got her musical talent from her mom."

"Go on." I said. "Continue."

"When Clove and Finnick were ten, Laura was driving home from a photo shoot one night, and she was killed in a car accident. The paparazzi were all over the story of her death. Emmett didn't even get a phone call from the police; he had to find out about his wife's death from a newspaper article that was published a mere two minutes after Laura was killed." Finch said.

"Continue." I said.

"Emmett became a different man after reading the newspaper article about Laura's death. He quit acting, and he eventually developed a drinking problem. Paparazzi would come to his door once a week, asking him why he quit acting. The answer was always the same: "I don't like it anymore". It was a truthful answer. He didn't like acting anymore." Finch said.

"Go on." I said. "Continue."

"Emmett and the twins moved from Oklahoma to California when Clove and Finnick turned 12. A year later, he began abusing them. It started out as punches and kicks, but things got much worse on their 14th birthday. Finnick got belt lashes, and Clove got raped. Finnick saw the whole thing." Finch said.

"Continue." I said.

"Finnick was so mad at Emmett that he hit him over the head with an empty whiskey bottle, knocking him unconscious. He did that after Clove put her pants and underwear back on. Clove called the police and told them every vivid detail about the abuse. The police came and arrested the still unconscious Emmett. They told the twins to pack up all their possessions and go live with a friend or family member." Finch said.

"Go on." I said. "Continue."

Finch continued telling Clove's story. "Clove and Finnick packed up all their things and went to live with me. Clove told me about the abuse, and I urged her to take a pregnancy test. She did. The result was positive. Clove told me that if the baby was a boy, she would name it Sean, and if it was a girl, she would name it Ava. Clove ended up losing the baby to a miscarriage."

"Continue." I said.

Finch continued telling Clove's story. "The day of Emmett's trial eventually came, and Clove and Finnick testified against their father. I did too. The press was nice enough not to include the child abuse in the articles they wrote about Emmett's trial. They figured it would make the twins uncomfortable."

"Go on." I said. "Continue."

Finch continued telling Clove's story. "Emmett was sentenced to prison for the rest of his life on the charges of alcohol abuse and child abuse. The articles the press wrote about Emmett's trial said that "Emmett Odair was sentenced to prison for the rest of his life on the charge of serious alcohol abuse."

Finch continued telling Clove's story. "The students and staff of this school had all seen the newspaper articles, so they never asked Clove and Finnick questions about their mom's death and their dad's jail sentence. They only asked if they were doing okay. The twins always said they were doing okay. To this day, Clove and Finnick still live with me. Eventually, Finnick started dating Annie. Clove didn't get a boyfriend."

I was blown away by what Finch had just told me. "Wow. I had no idea Clove went through…Hell, basically."

"Of course you didn't." Finch said, not unkindly. "After I told everyone in our close circle of friends about the abuse, Clove said she didn't want to tell anyone else."

"You know, Cato, I don't think the song is the only reason you're interested in Clove's story." Finch said.

"Oh really?" I raised an eyebrow. She's not wrong, but I'm not telling her the other reason unless she guesses it. "Why is that?"

"I've seen the way you look at Clove when she passes you in the hallway." Finch said. "You have a crush on her."

"You're not wrong." I said to Finch. "I don't know if it's possible to develop a crush on someone you barely know."

"It must be." Finch said to me. "Because you've developed a crush on Clove."

"I'm going to give you some advice, Cato. Some genuine girl to guy advice." Finch said to me. "Become friends with Clove; get to know her before asking her out. Trust me, becoming a girl's friend before asking her out works. Marvel and I were friends since elementary school, and he asked me out when we were 13. We've been a couple ever since. It worked with me, and it will work with Clove."

"But my cousin Gloss said that Clove refuses to get close to anyone that's not in her close circle of friends." I said. "What makes you think your advice is gonna work? You and Clove are completely different."

"We're not as different as you think." Finch informed me. Clove may have been through a lot, but she's like any other girl. She wants to go out on dates. She wants a boyfriend.

The next thing that came out of Finch's mouth was: "Clove has told me this dozens of times: "I'm the only single one of the group, and I want to change that."

"Okay." I said. "Thanks for the advice. And thanks for telling me Clove's story. I won't tell anyone unless I have to."

"See you later, Cato." Finch waved to me before walking out of the school's front double doors.

**A/N: Please review this chapter!**


	6. Friends

Chapter 6: Friends

Cato's POV

I had been at Panem High for about a month, and I've sat with Clove and her close circle of friends almost every day. I kept my promise to Finch and never said anything about the abuse. I never told Clove that I knew her story. Clove never told me she considered me a friend, but the others did. I was getting tired of not being considered Clove's friend. Today, I'm going to ask Clove if she wants to be friends.

I met up with Clove at her locker while she was getting ready for our next class, English. "I'm going to be upfront with you, Clove…I want to be your friend. The others told me that they considered me a friend, but you haven't. Since I've been sitting with you and the others for almost a month, I think you should give me a chance. You can trust me, Clove. I won't hurt you, I promise."

I would never hurt Clove. I'm in love with her, for crying out loud! Not that she needed to know that right now.

"Okay, Cato, I'll let you be my friend." Clove said. "But I'm warning you, if you want to be my friend just because I'm rich, I will get my brother to hurt you." She gave me a fierce glare. "He is capable of that, you know."

I knew that. Finnick hit Emmett in the head with an empty whiskey bottle and knocked him unconscious.

"I don't want to be your friend just because you're rich, Clove." I said to her.

"Okay." A small smile crossed Clove's features. "Congratulations, Cato, we're friends."

A small smile crossed my features. "Would you like to go out for coffee after school today, friend?"

"Sure." A small smile crossed Clove's features. She jokingly punched me in the arm. "Pal."

Becoming friends with Clove was a hell of a lot easier than I thought it would be.

**A/N: Please review this chapter!**


	7. The Project

Chapter 7: The Project

_**Friday…**_

Cato's POV

I took a seat next to Clove in our last class of the day, English. We had gotten there after all the other students but before the teacher, so there were no other seats available.

The teacher, Effie Trinket, a 30 year old woman with blonde hair styled in a braid, fair skin, and light blue eyes, caught everyone's attention. "I have a project, students! It will be in pairs. To make things easier, you will be paired up with the person sitting next to you."

Effie explained the project to the class. "This project is called Getting To Know Others. For this project, you will have to ask your partner questions and write a report on their answers. Everyone will read their reports on Tuesday. Get to work, students!"

Clove took a deep breath and whispered in my ear. "I've never told anyone this…I used to be a victim of abuse."

"I know." I whispered back. "Finch told me your story."

"Well, guess you know everything about me, then!" Clove whispered. She was pissed, I could tell. "So you've got a head start!"

"You don't have to be so pissed, Clove." I whispered in her ear. "I asked Finch what your story was. She merely answered my question."

"Okay." Clove whispered. "Let me ask you some personal questions."

She began asking me questions.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Red." I said.

"When's your birthday?"

"November 14." I said.

"Mine's three days after yours." Clove said. "What kind of music do you like?"

"Anything but Justin Bieber, Cody Simpson, the Jonas Brothers, or Greyson Chance." I said.

Clove chuckled at that. "Same here. How many social networking sites do you use?"

"Just one, Facebook." I said. "That's the only social networking site I have an account on."

"Same here. Finnick and I joined Facebook not long after we went to live with Finch." Clove said. "Send us a friend request sometime. I'll accept, and I'm sure he will too."

"I'll do that." I said.

"Is there anything that you did in your past that you wish you hadn't done?" Clove asked me.

"Yeah." I said. "I got mixed up with the wrong crowd at my old school and became a party animal. I did the stupidest shit when I was drunk. I wish I hadn't gotten mixed up with the people I got mixed up with. Like you said, alcohol fucks people up."

"Do you have a favorite flavor of ice cream?"

"Yeah." I said. "it's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough."

"That's mine too." Clove said. "What is your favorite kind of chips?"

"Sour Cream And Bacon, from Ruffles." I said.

"Me too." Clove said. "I think that's enough questions."

"Okay," I said. "When do you want to meet up and work on the project?"

"Tonight, at Finch's house." Clove said. "Finch has a date with Marvel and her parents have to work the night shift. No one will be home."

"All right, sounds good." I said. "Do you have a key?"

"What kind of question is that?" Clove joked. "Of course I have a key!"

~Line break~

Clove's POV

I opened the door of Finch's house with my key. "Come on in", I said to Cato. He followed me into the entry way.

"This is a nice house." Cato said.

"I know." I said. "I'll get my laptop and meet you downstairs, and we'll get started on the project. You can use the computer downstairs."

Cato walked downstairs. I went to my room and got my laptop. I met Cato downstairs. He was sitting at the computer, typing away. I began typing on my laptop.

Cato looked at me. "There's a party tomorrow night at Marvel's. Do you wanna go?"

"I thought you said you weren't a party animal." I teased.

"Marvel said there wouldn't be alcohol involved." Cato said. "So, what do you say?"

"I was planning on going anyway." I said. "All my friends are going."

Cato's POV

I glanced at the fully typed report on Clove's laptop. "You're done already?"

"Yeah, I'm done." Clove said. "Are you close to being done?"

"I have one more sentence." I said. I typed the last sentence. "Now I'm done." I pressed the print button. Clove plugged her laptop into the printer of the computer and printed her report off.

I let Clove read my report. It was titled _Blown Away: The Story Of Clove Odair_.

"This is an amazing report." Clove said. "The class is gonna love this."

Clove let me read her report.

"This is a good report." I said.

"Well, looks like we're done the project." Clove said.

"Actually, we're not." I said.

Clove gave me a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"I'd like to get a video of you singing Blown Away so that I could include it with my report on you." I said.

"All right." Clove said. "I'll grab Finch's digital camera. She uses it to take pictures and put them on Facebook, but it does videos too."

Clove's POV

I went upstairs and grabbed Finch's camera from her room. I grabbed my guitar case from my room and went downstairs. I handed the camera to Cato and sat down on the sofa. He was standing up.

Cato started the video. I played the introductory chords and began to sing.

_Dry lightning cracks across the skies  
Those storm clouds gather in her eyes  
Her daddy was a mean old mister  
Mama was an angel in the ground  
The weather man called for a twister  
She prayed blow it down_

_There's not enough rain in Oklahoma  
To wash the sins out of that house  
There's not enough wind in Oklahoma  
To rip the nails out of the past_

_Shatter every window 'til it's all blown away,  
Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away  
'Til there's nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday  
Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away,  
Blown away_

_She heard those sirens screaming out  
Her daddy laid there passed out on the couch  
She locked herself in the cellar  
Listened to the screaming of the wind  
Some people call it taking shelter  
She called it sweet revenge_

_Shatter every window 'til it's all blown away,  
Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away  
'Til there's nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday  
Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away,  
Blown away_

_There's not enough rain in Oklahoma_  
_To wash the sins out of that house_  
_There's not enough wind in Oklahoma_  
_To rip the nails out of the past_

_Shatter every window 'til it's all blown away,  
Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away  
'Til there's nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday  
Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away,  
Blown away, blown away, blown away, blown away, blown away._

"And cut!" Cato yelled. He shut off the camera. "Great job, Clove."

"Thanks." I said. "Where are we gonna put this?"

Cato took a flash drive out of the pocket of his shorts. "On this."

I transferred the video from the camera to the flash drive.

"NOW we're done the project." Cato said. "I should get home. My parents are probably waiting for me."

"Okay." I said. "See you at the party, Cato."

"You too, Clove." He said. He waved to me before he walked out the door.

**A/N: Please review this chapter!**


	8. The Party

Chapter 8: The Party

Clove's POV

Tonight was the night of the party. When Finnick and I arrived, the party was in full swing.

"Hey guys, glad you could make it." Marvel said to me and Finnick. "There are lots of good drinks around here. Beer, tequila, whiskey…you name it, I've got it."

"I thought you said there wasn't going to be alcohol." I said to Marvel.

"I changed my mind and decided to include alcohol." Marvel said. "Not everyone is like your dad, Clove. If anyone gets in a fight at this party, I'll kick them out."

"All right." I said. "Sounds good."

Annie walked up to Finnick and sloppily threw herself at him. "Hey babe. I'm so horny right now. Let's go to a bedroom and bang." The red solo cup she had in her hand fell to the floor, and red punch spilled all over the floor. Marvel immediately cleaned it up, with my help.

"All right, who got Annie drunk?" Finnick asked the crowd of teenagers. Annie never acts the way she's acting right now unless she's drunk, and she doesn't drink alcohol. Obviously someone spiked their punch.

"It was me." A guy with black hair said. His name was Darius Henderson. He's the biggest douchebag in school. "I thought it'd be funny to get sweet, innocent, Annie Cresta drunk."

"You son of a bitch." Finnick punched Darius in the face. "Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, gets Annie drunk!"

Finnick is SUPER protective of his girlfriend.

"Let's go make out somewhere." Annie giggled.

"Darius, get the fuck out of my house." Marvel said to Darius. "Nobody wants you at this party."

"Clearly, you did." Darius said. "You invited me. It's not a party without the one and only Darius!"

"I'm regretting my decision of inviting you." Marvel said. "Now get the hell out of here!"

"All right, man. Chill.″ Darius said. He left the party.

″Now that Darius is gone, we can REALLY get this party started!″ Finch yelled. ″Let's kick it off with a game of truth or dare!″

Finch started up the first round. ″Okay, Cashmere, truth or dare?″

″Truth.″ Cashmere said.

″What`s something you would never tell a lot of people?″ Finch asked.

″I`m bisexual.″ Cashmere said. ″Gloss, truth or dare?″

″Dare.″ Gloss said.

″I dare you to go to the kitchen, take the ketchup out here, and squirt some of it in your mouth. Make sure to swallow.″ Cashmere said. ″After you are done, put the ketchup back in the fridge.″

Gloss complied with his sister`s dare. When he was done, his face contored into a disgusted expression. ″Yuck. Ketchup tastes nasty by itself.″

Gloss turned to Annie. ″Truth or dare, Annie?″

″Dare.″ Annie, who was still drunk, giggled.

″I dare you to make out with your boyfriend for one minute.″ Gloss said. ″Make it hot and steamy.″

Finnick`s POV

Annie crawled in my lap, positioning herself at a good angle with her knees bent and legs on either side of me. She cupped my face in her hands and gently pulled me closer. She closed the distance between us, connecting our lips.

Gloss told Annie to make it a hot and steamy make out session, so I opened my mouth, and Annie slipped her tongue into it, caressing my tongue with her own. She slanted her head to deepen the kiss, our tongues now battling for control.

I wasn't going to let her have all the fun. I yanked her closer, causing her to accidentally grind against me. We were now in an intense make out session. My hands were rubbing soft circles on Annie`s lower back, while her hands crept under my shirt and went down to my abs. We were so into it that we didn`t even hear Gloss` attempts at telling us our minute was up.

A loud ″HEY!″ from Katniss caused us to stop our hot and steamy make out session.

″Well, you two seemed to be having fun.″ Clove wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

″That was HOT.″ Finch said. ″There's no way Annie would have done that if she was sober. She would have picked truth instead of dare.″

″It's your turn, baby. If the other person picks dare, make sure to give them something good.″ Annie, who was still drunk, giggled.

″Marvel, truth or dare?″ I asked Marvel.

″Dare.″ Marvel said.

″I dare you to prank call Finch's mom on your cell phone.″ I said to Marvel.

Marvel's POV

I pulled my cell phone out of the pocket of my shorts and dialed Mrs. Foxworthy`s number.

″Hello?″ Mrs. Foxworthy asked from the other end of the line.

″Mrs. Foxworthy, there's something I have to tell you.″ I made myself sound hesitant.

″What's that?″ Mrs. Foxworthy asked.

″Your daughter is pregnant.″ I said.

″WHAT?!″ Mrs. Foxworthy shrieked. ″She's a virgin, and she told me you were also a virgin!″

″She told me she lost her v-card to Gale last week.″ I said.

″But Gale is dating Glimmer!″ Mrs. Foxworthy shrieked.

″She told me it was a threesome.″ I said. The others had to bite their lips to keep themselves from laughing.

″WHAT?! Why, when I get my hands on Gale and Glimmer, they`ll both me sorry!″ Mrs. Foxworthy shrieked.

″I'm just kidding; your daughter and I are still virgins. This was a prank call. Bye Mrs. Foxworthy.″ I hung up the phone.

Finch's POV

I was next in this game of truth or dare. Johanna went before me. Marvel gave her the same dare that Gloss had gotten.

″Truth or dare, Finch?″ Johanna asked me. She had an evil grin on her face.

″Normally I'd pick dare, but since you're giving me that super evil grin of yours, I'm gonna go with truth.″ I said.

Johanna smirked. I KNEW she had something evil planned! ″What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?″

My face turned as red as my hair. ″When you made me wear that black bikini for Glimmer's pool party at the end of freshmen year, and the top fell off.″

Katniss howled with laughter. ″I remember that! Good thing you didn't have big boobs back then, or else the boys would REALLY be coming to the yard!″

Rue sang a line from the song Milkshake. ″My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, and damn right, it's better than yours!″

Cato's POV

I was the last one up in this truth or dare game.

″Truth or dare, Cato?″ Finch asked me.

″Dare.″ I said without hesitation.

″I dare you to ask your crush on a date.″ Finch smirked at me. ″If she says yes, you have to ask you to be your girlfriend.″

″Call your crush, Cato! Call her!″ Rue cheered.

″I don't have to, because she's sitting right next to me. I turned to Clove. ″Clove, will you go on a date with me, and will you be my girlfriend?″

″Sure Cato.″ Clove said. ″When's our date? I know we're going backwards, but it's not your fault; it was part of the dare.″

When Clove said ″ we're going backwards″, she meant that a guy will ask a girl on a date and THEN ask her to be their girlfriend.

″How does tomorrow night sound?″ I asked her. ″We can catch a movie. Warm Bodies looks pretty good.″

Glimmer's POV

Soon, the party was over. It was a pretty fun party.

**A/N: Please review this chapter!**


	9. A Date (part 1)

Chapter 9: A Date (part 1)

Glimmer's POV

It was Saturday, and I was getting ready for my date with Gale. We were going to the movies. We were going to see Pitch Perfect. The movie would start at 2:50 this afternoon. It was 1:00.

I slipped on a sleeveless denim shirt that tied up in the front, showing off my belly button, a pair of blue denim skinny jeans, and a pair of brown knee-high boots with a six inch heel. I curled my hair with my pink curling iron. Soon, curls fell down my back in perfect ringlets.

I was putting on my cherry flavored lip gloss, when I heard the doorbell ring. I screamed for my 12 year old sister Emma to get the door.

″Glimmer, it's Gale!″ I heard Emma yell.

″I'm coming!″ I replied. I put the cap back on my lip gloss and put the tube on top of my dresser. I made my way down the stairs.

″Hey sweetheart.″ I grinned at Gale. ″Ready to go?″

″Yes I am.″ Gale said. We headed out the door.

Gale and I arrived at the movie theatre at 2:30. We got tickets to see Pitch Perfect.

″Hey Glimmer!″ Rue said. She was here with Thresh.

″Hey!″ I said to Rue. ″Since we`re all here, let`s do a double date!″

″Sounds good.″ Rue said.

Rue's POV

The movie was hilarious. After it was over, we headed to a small little ice cream shop.

″I'm so glad Cato is Clove's boyfriend now!″ I exclaimed. ″Now everyone in our group can do couple events together!″

″Me too.″ Glimmer agreed.

Gale's POV

My mom drove Glimmer home. I walked her to the front door of her house.

″I had fun tonight.″ Glimmer said.

″Me too.″ I said. I kissed her lips. ″Good night, babe.″

″Good night sweetheart.″ Glimmer waved to me before walking through the door.

**A/N: Please review this chapter!**


	10. A Date (part 2)

Chapter 10: A Date (part 2)

_**Monday…**_

Annie's POV

It was an in-service day today. Finnick and I were at the beach. Finnick told me the details of the party. I can't believe Darius had spiked my punch!

″I am gonna kill Darius!″ I exclaimed as we walked barefoot in the warm and soft white sand.

″Babe, don't do that. You'll get sent to jail, and then I won't be able to see you.″ Finnick gave me a super cute puppy dog face.

I caved. ″Fine, I won't kill Darius.″

″Ah, there's the sweet, innocent Annie Cresta I love!″ Finnick lifted me up bridal style, and spun me around, kissing my lips.

″Let's go swimming!″ I exclaimed when Finnick let me go.

″I was thinking the same thing.″ Finnick said. We went into the water and swam. When we got out, we were soaked.

″I should head home.″ I told my boyfriend. ″My mom is having a PTA meeting at our house, and I promised I'd help her clean the house. I'll see you at school tomorrow!″

I waved to Finnick before running up the beach in the direction of my house. My house is within walking distance of the beach.

Katniss` POV

Peeta took me to his family's bakery. It's owned by his father, Johnny. No one was working, but he had a key. We came in and made cinnamon rolls.

Peeta put a small piece of cinnamon roll in my mouth. ″How does that taste?″

″Really good!″ I exclaimed.

"We're such rebels." Peeta teased. "Look at us, breaking into a bakery and making cinnamon rolls."

"Right, because having a key TOTALLY counts as breaking in ." I teased.

Peeta and I erupted into a laughing fit. We are definitely not rebels. We didn't break in. Having a key does not count as breaking in.

"Hey Kat, think fast!" Peeta grabbed a bag of flour and threw a little bit of flour at me. It landed in my hair.

"YOU DID NOT!" I yelled. I grabbed an egg from the fridge and cracked it on Peeta's head.

Peeta grabbed a slimy ball of cinnamon roll batter and threw it at me. It landed on my shirt and stuck there.

"OH HELL NO!" I yelled. I grabbed a slimy ball of cinnamon roll batter and threw it at Peeta. At that moment, Peeta's father walked through the door of the bakery and dodged the slimy ball of cinnamon roll batter. It landed on the wall and stuck there.

"What is going on here?!" Peeta's father asked.

"Um, we baked cinnamon rolls, and Peeta threw flour at me after we were done, and then we got into a food fight." I explained.

"You can't start a food fight…without me!" Peeta's father exclaimed. He grabbed the slimy ball of cinnamon roll batter off the roll and threw it at Peeta. It landed on his shirt and stuck there.

Soon the bakery was even more of a mess than it was when Peeta's father's walked through the door. Everyone was covered in egg yolk, flour, and cinnamon roll batter.

"I think you should go home and get yourself cleaned up, Katniss." Peeta's father said.

"All right sir." I said. I kissed Peeta's cheek. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."

**A/N: Please review this chapter!**


	11. A Date (part 3)

Chapter 11: A Date (part 3)

Finch's POV

Marvel and I were at an ice cream shop downtown. His mom drove us there.

"One vanilla ice cream cone with strawberry syrup and sprinkles, please." I told the worker behind the counter.

She asked what size I wanted and I said "medium".

Marvel ordered the same thing, only he got chocolate syrup.

~Line break~

I was sitting at a table with Marvel, contently licking my ice cream. It was a hot day, so some of the ice cream melted all over my nose.

Marvel chuckled. "You look cute with ice cream on your nose." He scooped the ice cream off my nose with his finger.

"Two can play at that game." I chuckled. I scooped some ice cream off of my cone with my finger and put it on Marvel's nose and scooped it back up again.

As soon as we finished eating our ice cream, Marvel texted his mom and told her that we were done. In 10 minutes, her car got to the ice cream shop.

We got into her car. I took the front seat. Soon everyone was home.

Once I was inside my bedroom, I texted Marvel and told him that I had a good time.

His response came back immediately: _I did too. I love you Finch. XOXO._

I texted him back. _I love you too sweetheart. XOXO._

Clove's POV

At 2 p.m., I began getting ready for my first date with my boyfriend, Cato. I looked at the clock on my bedroom wall. It read 1:50 p.m. Cato's going to be here in ten minutes.

I put on a pair of black denim skinny jeans, a pair of knee-high black boots with a six inch heel and a red long sleeved shirt with a sleeveless blue denim jacket over it. I kept the jacket unbuttoned. I curled my hair with my white curling iron. Soon, curls fell down my back in perfect ringlets.

At that moment, I heard the doorbell ring. I walked down the stairs. Cato was at the door.

"You look great." Cato said.

"Thanks." I said. "Let's go."

I followed Cato out the front door.

We arrived at the movie theatre exactly 5 minutes before 2:30 p.m. We got tickets to see Warm Bodies at 2:50 p.m. We ordered one large popcorn with butter and 2 bottles of Coca Cola.

Cato's POV

"Well hello Cato!" A familiar voice yelled from in front of me. The girl who the voice belonged to turned around. I was face to face with my ex girlfriend from Capitol Academy, a tall and slender blonde girl with a fair skin tone and blue eyes. Her name is Amy. She was wearing FAR too much makeup today, as per usual.

"Hello Amy." I said pleasantly. I'm not rude, even to people I don't like. I don't like Amy. I haven't ever since she cheated on me and then dumped me for the guy she cheated on me with.

"I miss you." Amy pouted. "Come back to Capitol Academy. Come back to me!"

"I'm not coming back to a girl who cheated on me." I said. "I'm happy at my new school. I've got a lot of friends, and a girlfriend who is a hell of a lot prettier than you."

"Oh please." Amy scoffed. "Nobody is prettier than me."

"Amy, this is Clove." I gestured to Clove. "She's my girlfriend."

"Hi Amy." Clove said. "You might want to get rid of some of that makeup. Everyone knows that too much makeup makes you look like a clown."

Amy huffed and got tickets to see Pitch Perfect. She walked away.

I don't know why I ever went out with her. She's SO annoying!

Clove's POV

"Well hello CLATO!" A familiar voice yelled from behind me. Cato and I turned around and found ourselves face to face with Johanna. She was here with Elliot.

"Hey Johanna." Cato said.

"Hey Johanna." I said. "You look great!"

Johanna had on a black leather miniskirt over black tights, a red long sleeved lace top with a black lace collar, and red boots that stopped at her ankle, with a low heel and black laces. Her long straight brown hair was in a high ponytail. The ponytail was tied with a red hair elastic. Like me, she wasn't wearing makeup.

"Thanks." Johanna said. "So do you."

"Thanks." I said. I paid the guy working the counter and he gave me and Cato our tickets and snacks. We headed to the spot in the theatre where Warm Bodies was being shown. Turns out Elliot and Johanna also got tickets to see Warm Bodies.

I sat next to Cato, Johanna sat on the other side of Cato, and Elliot sat on the other side of Johanna.

The movie started.

"Are you having a good time?" Cato asked me with a pleasant smile.

"Yes I am, Cato." I replied. "How about you?"

"Of course I am." Cato said. "I'm on a date with the prettiest girl ever." He grabbed my right hand. I have no scars on my hands. That's definitely a good thing. I also don't have an STI from when my so-called father raped me and took my v-card. That's definitely a good thing.

There was a scene in the movie that was pretty scary, so I jumped in surprise along with everyone else and I grabbed Cato's hand and squeezed it. He started to rub his thumb on my hand. "It's okay, Clove, it's only a movie."

After the movie was finally finished, we all headed to Chili's for dinner.

"Table for four, please." Johanna said.

"Well, it just so happens we have a table for four available right now!" The hostess led us to a table for four.

I texted Finch's mom and told her to meet me outside Chili's. I also asked if she could drive the others home. Her response came back immediately: _I can do that. They live on the same street as us._

Everyone ordered chili cheese fries. We ate them and then met Finch's mom outisde Chili's. We got into her car. I took the front seat. Soon everyone was home.

Once I was inside my bedroom, I texted Cato and told him that I had a good time.

His response came back immediately: _I did too. I love you Clove. XOXO._

He is a sweetheart!

I texted him back. _I love you too sweetheart. XOXO._

**A/N: Please review this chapter!**


	12. Blown Away

Chapter 12: Blown Away

Clove's POV

Today was the day the projects were due. Miss Trinket randomly picked students to present. Cato and I were the last two she picked.

"You can go first." Cato said to me.

I made my way to the front of the room and presented my report on Cato. I sat back down in my seat. Cato made his way to the front of the room and addressed the class. "Hello everyone. For this project, I was paired with Clove Odair."

Cato began presenting his report on me.

"I transferred here from Capitol Academy, as you all know. I met Clove in science class. We engaged in small talk. I discovered her last name was Odair, and that she was the daughter of Emmett and Laura Odair. She told me about her mom's death and showed me the newspaper about her dad being sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison, on the charge of serious alcohol abuse. I told her that seemed like a harsh sentence seemed awfully harsh for something as minor…well, compared to some other crimes at least…as alcohol abuse. I asked her if her dad did anything else."

"She got defensive on me and said ″I'm sure. Now…if you would be so kind as to not ask me anymore questions about my parents…that would be greatly appreciated. I apologized to her. She said that she was sorry for snapping at me, but she didn't like that I asked her questions about her parents. She said she gets enough questions from the press."

"Clove discovered that my cousins are the identical twins Gloss and Cashmere. She asked me why I transferred from an elite school like Capitol Academy to an average public school. I told her that I got really drunk one night at a party, did some stupid stuff, and got expelled, and that the principal, Haymitch Abernathy, was the one who expelled me. He said ″too much drinking is not good for you″. That sounded rather ironic coming from him, considering he calls in sick half the time due to being hung-over. I'm not such a party animal anymore." The class chuckled at that.

"At lunch, I talked to Gloss and Cashmere and told them about Clove. They said they knew her and Finnick from classes. Cashmere said that Clove and Finnick are the paparazzo's babies, and that whenever they're on TV, they get bombarded with questions. I told them that I asked Clove some questions about her parents, and that she got all defensive on me."

"Gloss said "well, you can't really blame her for getting defensive. Your dad being sent to prison and your mom getting killed in a car wreck aren't exactly things you'd bring up in casual conversation." Cashmere advised me not to get close to Clove. She said that Clove refuses to have a serious conversation with anyone that's not in her close circle of friends."

"Cashmere told me that almost everyone in school wants to be friends with Clove and Finnick, since they're famous. As you know, Clove and Finnick are famous because their parents were big time celebrities. Even though their parents aren't celebrities anymore, they're still the two richest people in California. She also said that Clove refuses to make friends with anyone, and that she's happy with just her close circles of friends. I ended up sitting with Gloss and Cashmere at lunch that day. After school that day, I saw Clove at the track meet. I sat on the bleachers next to her and engaged in more small talk. We discovered we live on the same street."

"I decided I'd try out for Panem High's football team. I played football at my old school. Public schools were allowed to play private schools in sporting events, and Panem High whooped our butts every time they played us. I needed to get back in shape so I'd be ready for tryouts. I headed to the park and ran a few laps. I stopped running laps when I heard guitar playing and singing."

"Directly in front of me was Clove, sitting on a park bench. She was playing a Gibson Hummingbird Heritage Cherry Sunburst acoustic guitar. She had a really good voice. Everyone had stopped what they were doing to listen to her sing. She was singing with such passion in her voice. I wondered if there was a personal story behind the song she was singing."

"When Clove finished singing, I complimented her on her musical talent and asked her if she wrote a lot of songs. She said that she's written a few songs, and that they were happy songs, unlike the one she had just sung. She said it was called Blown Away, and that it was about child abuse."

"I resumed running laps, and there was only one thought in my mind: there has GOT to be a personal story behind the song Clove just sang. And I'm gonna figure out what that story is."

"I made the football team. I got the quarterback position. I was quarterback at my old school. One day, I spotted Clove's friend Finch talking to her boyfriend Marvel at her locker. When Marvel left, I talked to Finch. I asked her what Clove's story was. An expression of slight alarm crossed Finch's features. She told me that no one outside Clove's circle of friends has asked her the question I just asked. She asked me why I wanted to know. I told her about the song. She said that I was the first person outside her close circle of friends that would hear Clove's story, and that she has only told people that were part of her close circle of friends Clove's story."

"This is Clove's story." I said. "Laura Odair was a famous singer. She was beautiful. She was the wife of Emmett Odair, a famous actor. They were extremely wealthy. Laura and Emmett lived in Oklahoma with their twin children, Clove and Finnick. Clove was the spitting image of Laura, and Finnick was the spitting image of Emmett. Clove got her musical talent from her mom."

"When Clove and Finnick were ten, Laura was driving home from a photo shoot one night, and she was killed in a car accident. The paparazzi were all over the story of her death. Emmett didn't even get a phone call from the police; he had to find out about his wife's death from a newspaper article that was published a mere two minutes after Laura was killed."

"Emmett became a different man after reading the newspaper article about Laura's death. He quit acting, and he eventually developed a drinking problem. Paparazzi would come to his door once a week, asking him why he quit acting. The answer was always the same: "I don't like it anymore". It was a truthful answer. He didn't like acting anymore."

"Emmett and the twins moved from Oklahoma to California when Clove and Finnick turned 12. A year later, he began abusing them. It started out as punches and kicks, but things got much worse on their 14th birthday. Finnick got belt lashes, and Clove got sexually assaulted. Finnick saw the whole thing."

Cashmere gasped, a hand flying to her mouth.

"Finnick was so mad at Emmett that he hit him over the head with an empty whiskey bottle, knocking him unconscious. He did that after Clove put her pants and underwear back on. Clove called the police and told them every vivid detail about the abuse. The police came and arrested the still unconscious Emmett. They told the twins to pack up all their possessions and go live with a friend or family member."

"Clove and Finnick packed up all their things and went to live with Finch, since none of their relatives lived in California. Clove told Finch about the abuse, and Finch urged her to take a pregnancy test. She did. The result was positive. Clove told Finch that if the baby was a boy, she would name it Sean, and if it was a girl, she would name it Ava. Clove ended up losing the baby to a miscarriage."

By now, the girls in the class were in tears. Effie was too. Some of the guys even shed a few tears. Contrary to popular belief, guys cry too.

I didn't blame them for crying. This was a sad story.

"The day of Emmett's trial eventually came, and Clove and Finnick testified against their father. Finch did too. The press was nice enough not to include the child abuse in the articles they wrote about Emmett's trial. They figured it would make the twins uncomfortable."

"Emmett was sentenced to prison for the rest of his life on the charges of alcohol abuse and child abuse. The articles the press wrote about Emmett's trial said that "Emmett Odair was sentenced to prison for the rest of his life on the charge of serious alcohol abuse."

"The students and staff of this school had all seen the newspaper articles, so they never asked Clove and Finnick questions about their mom's death and their dad's jail sentence. They only asked if they were doing okay. The twins always said they were doing okay. To this day, Clove and Finnick still live with Finch. Eventually, Finnick started dating the captain of the volleyball team, Annie Cresta. Clove didn't get a boyfriend."

"I was blown away by Clove's story." I said. "I told Finch that I had no idea Clove had been through so much. She said "of course you didn't. After I told everyone in our close circle of friends about the abuse, Clove said she didn't want to tell anyone else." Finch told me that she didn't think the song was the only reason I was interested in hearing Clove's story. She told me she had figured out that I had a crush on Clove."

"Finch told me 'I'm going to give you some advice, Cato. Some genuine girl to guy advice. Become friends with Clove; get to know her before asking her out. Trust me, becoming a girl's friend before asking her out works. Marvel and I were friends since elementary school, and he asked me out when we were 13. We've been a couple ever since. It worked with me, and it will work with Clove'."

"I told her 'but my cousin Gloss said that Clove refuses to get close to anyone that's not in her close circle of friends. What makes you think your advice is gonna work? You and Clove are completely different'."

"Finch told me 'we're not as different as you think. Clove may have been through a lot, but she's like any other girl. She wants to go out on dates. She wants a boyfriend'."

"The next thing that came out of Finch's mouth was: "Clove has told me this dozens of times: 'I'm the only single one of the group, and I want to change that'."

"I promised Finch that I wouldn't tell anyone about the abuse unless I had to. I became friends with Clove and eventually ended up asking her out. We're a couple now."

"Clove's song and story blew me away. It inspired the title for this report: _Blown Away: The Story Of Clove Odair_."

The class erupted in applause. Cato held up a hand. "I'm not done yet. There's more. I got a video of Clove singing Blown Away while we were working on this project at Finch's house."

Cato plugged the flash drive into Effie's computer and opened up the video.

_Dry lightning cracks across the skies  
Those storm clouds gather in her eyes  
Her daddy was a mean old mister  
Mama was an angel in the ground  
The weather man called for a twister  
She prayed blow it down_

_There's not enough rain in Oklahoma  
To wash the sins out of that house  
There's not enough wind in Oklahoma  
To rip the nails out of the past_

_Shatter every window 'til it's all blown away,  
Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away  
'Til there's nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday  
Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away,  
Blown away_

_She heard those sirens screaming out  
Her daddy laid there passed out on the couch  
She locked herself in the cellar  
Listened to the screaming of the wind  
Some people call it taking shelter  
She called it sweet revenge_

_Shatter every window 'til it's all blown away,  
Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away  
'Til there's nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday  
Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away,  
Blown away_

_There's not enough rain in Oklahoma_  
_To wash the sins out of that house_  
_There's not enough wind in Oklahoma_  
_To rip the nails out of the past_

_Shatter every window 'til it's all blown away,  
Every brick, every board, every slamming door blown away  
'Til there's nothing left standing, nothing left of yesterday  
Every tear-soaked whiskey memory blown away,  
Blown away, blown away, blown away, blown away, blown away._

Cato's POV

"Now I'm done." I said.

The class erupted in applause. The other students in our class wiped away their tears.

Effie blew into a tissue. "That was an excellent report, Cato!" She wiped her tears away.

Everyone surrounded Clove's desk. Here are some of the things they said to her:

"Your dad is an asshole." Gloss was the one who said that. Effie didn't even scold him for his foul language.

"You poor thing! I had no idea you've been through so much!" Cashmere was the one who said that.

"Your dad is a terrible person!"

"Now I know why you cover up every day; to hide the scars."

"You and Clove make a cute couple."

"Thanks." I said to the brown haired girl who had said that.

I hugged Clove. "I love you."

"I know." Clove hugged me back. "I love you too."

"Your story blew me away." Effie was the one who said that.

"It blew me away too." I said to Effie.

THE END

**A/N: Please review!**


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